Indigenous "Sovereignty" and International Law: Revised Strategies for Pursuing "Self-Determination"

Abstract

The indigenous community greeted the United Nations’ decision to officially proclaim 1993 as the “International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples” rather warily. A mere twelve years had passed since the United Nations had created the Working Group on Indigenous Populations to formally address global indigenous issues. Over a much broader historical time span, many indigenous movements around the world have gained little more than symbolic international action in response to their quests for cultural, social, economic, and political autonomy. However, UN recognition reflects the increased globalization of indigenous rights movements. ² [End Page 343]